Filling carrier for shuttleless looms



March 20, 1962 A. vlLLANl 3,025,886

FILLING CARRIER FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS Filed April 1a, 1960 12 /11 47l5/2 1/5 -fj' Pfl H 'l f -J- il-:LL ISL-: hggg hifi' 8 3,025,836 FLLINGCARRHER FR SHUTTLELESS LGMS Antonio Villani, Milford, Mass., assigner toDraper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Filed Apr.18, 1960, Ser. No. 22,912 3 Claims. (Cl. 139-122) This inventionpertains to improvements in a filling carrier for use in shuttlelesslooms, that is, in looms of a type in which the filling yarn is suppliedfrom a source outside of the shuttle or filling inserting means itself.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a positive tensioningmeans within the filling extending carrier common in looms of the typeherein described.

It is a further object of the invention to provide as the tensioningmeans simple, inexpensive and easily replaceable tension pads such asthe type used in shuttle eyes of fiy shuttle looms.

4It is a further object of the invention to control the tension of thefilling yarn being extended by providing a means to adjust separatelythe tension pads.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a filling receivingcarrier which in a positive manner will eliminate unthreading after thefilling has been received by that carreir and before it has becomeengaged with hooked members provided therein as the direction of travelof the carrier is being reversed.

Other objects will become apparent from the following disclosure.

In shuttleless looms, that is, the type of loom in which filling yarn issupplied from an outside source and is not carried to and fro throughthe shed by means of a shuttle or the carrier itself, it is commonpractice to insert each pick of filling by two reciprocating elements,one of which may be referred to hereinafter as an inserter or insertingmember and the other of which receives or has transferred to it thatloop of filling projected into the shed by the first member and whichmay hereinafter be referred to as a filling receiving or fillingextending carrier. The latter member is generally provided with a hookedelement vby which the filling is seized and trapped and through which orpast which, the filling may move so that the action of the carrier towhich the inserted loop is transferred is one of merely drawing throughor extending an end which will have been severed to the required lengthnecessary to complete the pick. It is the general practice to employsome sort of tensioning means functioning in cooperation with the hookedmember on filling extending carriers of this nature and to illustratemore clearly this type of carrier, attention is hereby drawn to patentsnumbered 2,586,638 and 2,705,508.

The tensioning means for carriers made prior to the current inventionhave been of the type which employ strip spring material, and which arefixedly positioned at one end and the opposite end of which is sodesigned that the forces of tension are directed towards that portion ofthe carrier which traps, tensions and guides the inserted loop offilling as it is being extended.

According to the invention a filling receiving and extending carrier isso devised as to effect its intended function by means of a pair ofadjustable tension pads juxtapositioned between the forward part of themain body members of the carrier itself. These tension pads extend inback as well as in front of hooked members of the carrier that arelocated in the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

The invention will hereinafter be described in greater detail byreference to the accompanying figures of drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the filling receiving and cxtending carriershowing location of the tension pads in aired tates @arent relationshipto the hooked member of the forward upper surface.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of that carrier shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom View of that carrier shown in FIG. l, showing thetension pads in relationship to the hooked member of the forward lowersurface.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the filling receiving and extendingcarrier Showing its various component parts.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6 6 of FIG. 2.

The method of opertaion of so-called shuttleless looms and the actualmeans of extending a length of filling through the warp shed are wellknown to those conversant with this art; therefore, it is consideredsatisfactory at this point to call attention to a number of patentswhich are illustrative of the type of loom to which the presentinvention can be applied.

Reference is hereby made to the information disclosed in patentsnumbered 1,515,102; 1,883,354; 2,191,376 and 2,604,123.

Now referring to the figures of drawing, -fiexible carriers or tapes 10are used to reciprocate the thread carrying members themselves which arecaused to enter the shed and to be withdrawn therefrom, extendinginwardly to a point somewhere adjacent to the center of the shed of thefabric at which the filling extending carrier meets the insertingcarrier to transfer the filling thread to be drawn through the remainderof the shed.

Attached by some suitable means to the tape 10 is a filling gripping orextending member generally indicated by numeral 11 which comprises apair of complementary body members 12 and 13 shown in FIG. 4 and whichwhen assembled form and function as a single unit. Body member 12consists of a vertical side plate 14 which at its leading end terminatesin the form of a point 15. The vertical plate 12 has at its top portiona substantially fiat, laterally extending top surface 16 which whenassembled with body member 13 fits into its mating surface 17 that isshaped in the form of a step and which extends approximately the entirelength of said body member.

Body member 13 is very similar in design to body membei- 12 in that itcomprises a vertical side plate 18 which also at its leading endterminates in the form of a point 19. In a manner reverse to that ofbody member 12, member 13 has a bottom surface 20 which extendslaterally therefrom and when assembled as a unit it seats in the matingsurface 21 that is positioned on the underside of body member 12 asshown in FIG. 5. Vertical plate 18 of member 13 has at its approximatecenter and at a point approximately midway between said center and itstrailing edge, two countersunk holes 22 and 23 through which screws 24and 25 pass and assemble in the two tapped holes 26 and 27 which aremachined through vertical plate 14 and which are located in matingpositions with holes 22 and 23. The assembled unit generally indicatedby numeral 11 or which can now be referred to as the filling extendingcarrier itself has its leading ends or thread engaging and trappingmembers 2S and 29 so disposed as to provide for assembly of adjustablymounted tension pads 30 and 31 therebetween. These tension pads asassembled have their leading ends 32 and 33 bent outwardly and which areformed in the shape of a U by folding the upper and lower surfacesthereof rearwardly. Ends 32 and 33 assemble and fioat freely in holes 34and 35 which are positioned adjacent to points 15 and 19 of body members12 and 13. Adjacent to the rearward end of tension pads 30 and 31 areholes 36 and 37 through which a pin 38 of a somewhat smaller diameterpasses and extends from either end thereof into holes 39 and 40 in bodymembers 12 and 13. These holes are so positioned as to insure properfloating assembly of said pin u) through said tension pads. Thesetension pads have a means for varying the tension that is exerted on alength of filling through use of small compression springs 41 and 42which rest in the outer cupped portion of tension pads 30 and 31. Theopposite ends of each of these springs seat in slight recesses formed inthe tips of headless set screws 43 and 44 and assemble in tapped holes45 and 46 that are positioned at a point approximately midway betweenholes 34 and 39 of body member 12 and holes 35 and 40 of body member 13.The tension of springs assembled in this manner can be varied by simplyturning the set screws 43 and 44 inwardly or outwardly which in turnwill increase or decrease the forces being exerted inwardly on thetension pads 30 and 31.

This means for varying and maintaining a given amount of tension neednot be limited to the method described above, but may be accomplished ina number of ways, one example of which is illustrated and described inUnited States Patent No. 2,859,779.

The filling extending carrier generally indicated by numeral 11 includesat its forward end a pair of opposed thread engaging hooks 47 and 48which are formed in the upper and lower surfaces thereof and aresituated in such a position as to place them directly above and belowthe approximate center of the juxtapositioned tension pads 30 and 31.Hook 47 which is formed in the forward portion of the laterallyextending surface 16 of body member 12 overlies said tension p-ads and ataper is formed from the point of the hook gradually forwardly to point15 thus forming the thread engaging members 28 therebetween. Hook 48 isconstructed in the reverse of the latter in that it is formed in thebottom surface which extends laterally from body 13 and underlies thetensioning members hereinbefore described. As with hook 47, the point ofthe hook 48 tapers gradually forwardly to point 19 thus forming thethread engaging member 29 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 4 openings 49and 50 are formed directly in back of the thread engaging hooks 47 and48 into which the transferred loop of filling passes and is trappedbefore becoming engaged with hooks 47 and 48 as the lling extendingcarrier reverses its direction of motion to draw the filling through theremainder of the shed.

The trailing end 51 of the filling extending carrier itself, FIG. 2, istapered so as to blend with the tape 10 thereof to which it is attached.Additionally the forward end of tape 10 tapers inwardly to conformdimensionally with the trailing end 51 (FIGS. l and 3).

In operation, the carrier enters the shed without interference with warpthreads due to its entire forward end being properly tapered as shown inFIG. 2. It meets the inserting' carrier approximately midway in the shedand the filling presented by that member enters the extending carrierbeing guided by the thread engaging members 28 and 29 and thence betweenthe tension pads 30 and 31 into openings 49 and 5f) where it is trappedand held under tension. Pin 38 which supports said tensioning meml bersadjacent to their trailing ends also serves as a stop to prevent a newlytransferred loop of lling from going beyond its desired positions.Filling meetsl very little resistance while entering the carrier butwhen it has become trapped and the carrier reverses its direction ofmotion the filling is so controlled or guided that the severed end isdrawn between the tension pads and across engaging hooks 47 and 4Smaking it impossible for a lling thread to escape or for the carrier tobecome unthreaded.

The vertical side plates 14 and 18 of the main body members extendslightly above the laterally extending top surface 16 of body member 12for the purpose of decreasing the amount of surface contact as well asproviding a thread channel for the filling thread to be drawn through,free from interference by the upper warp sheet during closing of theshed and Withdrawal of the carrier therefrom.

Since the open end of pads 30 and 31 is directed toward the end of thecarrier, it is necessary for this carrier to enter the inserting carrieronly a very short distance in order to pick up or receive the filling.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to beunderstood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number ofways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precisedetails described, but is intended to embrace all variations andmodifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and thescope of the claims.

I claim:

l. For a shuttleless loom, a. filling extending carrier for receiving afilling yarn from an inserting carrier which has introduced said yarnpart way into a shed and for extending that yarn through the remainderof the shed which comprises a pair of opposed, relatively fixed bodymembers having generally horizontally disposed upper and lower surfacesextending therebetween, filling guiding and trapping members formed atthe leading end of said surfaces, a pair of opposed, floatingly mountedtension pads presenting vertically extending tension surfaces adapted toallow said filling yarn to be drawn therethrough under tension as saidcarrier is traversing said loom, and yieldable means adjacent each saidpad for urging said surfaces into contact with each other.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein `said yieldable means compriseadjustable springs.

3. The carrier of claim 1 wherein means is provided to restrict thefilling yarn within the tension pads as it is being drawn therethrough.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 975,051Palme Nov. 8, 1910 1,026,298 Blanchard May 14, 1912 2,192,728 Dewas Mar.5, 1940 2,923,325 Dewas Feb. 2, 1960 f attr

